


Ex Astra

by Latras



Category: Adastra (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Alien Culture, Diplomacy, M/M, Politics, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:55:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27530365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Latras/pseuds/Latras
Summary: Eight years, ninety-six months, four hundred and seventeen weeks, twelve thousand days, and they are finally able to reunite.
Relationships: Amicus/Marco, Original Character/Original Character
Comments: 16
Kudos: 60





	1. I

I

Amicus was nervous. Sure, he’d been nervous before, but this was different. He was no longer a pup, waiting for his father to find the vase he’d broken, or the test he’d cheated on. He was an emperor, he shouldn’t have had to worry about anything except for the other sibling races and their political scheming, but he was nervous.

The long eight years had ended, and Marco was due back within the week. He was being transported on a new human ship, one that had been built after the parents had finally given humanity the ability to utilize their technology. Reports from earth had filtered back about new stretch drive equipped starships being built and lingua chips being implanted into their crews. It seemed humanity was finally ready to journey amongst the stars.

Amicus knew for a fact that this made the other siblings nervous. In particular, the new ambassador from Omorfa was concerned about the vast numbers humanity had on its side. All of the sibling races in the Galaxis combined only numbered around one billion, and humanity was well on its way to surpass that eightfold. Still, he knew that the parents had a plan for it all. They always did.

He reflected back on the events that had occurred almost eight years ago. His escape from the dungeon, Neferu’s near execution, his brush with death, and what had saved him. He owed his life, and perhaps so did many wolves in the empire, to that small alien whose introduction to him had been a mistake.

“The parents work in mysterious ways.”

Amicus didn’t mean to speak out loud, but he did. Most of the entourage of different races accompanying him didn’t seem to notice, or maybe they were too preoccupied to care. There were certainly many things to think about this week. Despite this, one wolf noticed.

“What?”

Amicus turned his head to his younger brother. Cassius had nearly died at the hand of Cato all those years ago, and it changed the white wolf. The bold and sometimes offensive ex-emperor had been all but wiped away, and in his stead stood a reserved and hawkish advisor. After his ascension, Amicus had seen fit to appoint both of his siblings to his court of advisors. Cassius, while not openly admitting it, was very grateful, and he did his best to keep Amicus on the right path, often bringing his older sibling down to reality when he made plans that were perhaps too bold and ambitious.

That wasn’t to say that they hadn’t made progress. The pseudo-slavery that had been happening for millenia had finally halted in all systems controlled by the empire, and efforts were already underway to re-initiate the uplifting process in children species that had been stunted by their predecessors. All of this came with some criticism and minor violence from radical opponents to the new regime, but that was to be expected.

Amicus shook his head and muttered

“Nothing, brother. Just thinking.”

Cassius nodded and they continued walking to the meeting room where they would be discussing the arrival of the human delegation. The troupe of diplomats he’d chosen for the meeting included those he felt he could trust, and some other important figures that couldn't be left out for political reasons.

Behind him, Virginia and Nefuru were conducting a quiet yet heated discussion. Scipio and the new Omorfan ambassador were trading remarks about what the humans would do once they were introduced to the Galaxis. The rest of the delegation from the sibling species lagged behind.

Amicus was glad that he’d been able to bring the empire back to the meeting table with the other siblings. They were hesitant at first, but they’d come around once the tentative alliance between the Adastrans and Khemians was finalized. Amicus didn’t want to admit it, but Neferu had been instrumental in the process of alliance-forging.

They came up to a large set of doors, larger than most in the palace. Amicus pressed his paw to one of the black panels that opened the doors, and Cassius pressed the other simultaneously. Both doors slid open, revealing the large meeting hall.

The room hadn’t been used much for years before Amicus’ ascension, but he had made a point to strengthen diplomatic relations as a core value of the new empire. The diplomats took their seats, as they had been doing frequently for the last year. Amicus remained standing, ready to speak. He looked straight forward at the camera drone that was recording them. Usually, meetings like this weren’t televised, but this was an important one. Amicus put on his serious expression, and prepared to speak in his ‘emperor voice’ as Neferu called it.

“Friends and allies, these coming days will be momentous. I am sure all of you are aware that the parents have seen fit to make contact with humanity. I have received news from a credible source-” Virginia smirked. Amicus had to admit she was an excellent intelligence gatherer, “-that they are planning a diplomatic mission here, and that they should embark within the next day.”

A murmur rippled through the gathered observers. Most of the wolves in Adastra had been kept quiet about what exactly Earth had been doing for eight years, but Amicus had just revealed what was in store.

“Whilst there are some who have their concerns about opening diplomatic relations with Earth, I hope Adastra will realize just how important these humans will be to the future of the Galaxis. The parents have gone through so much to bring them here, and who are we to deny them?”

Several discontented sighs could be heard, but reactions were mostly positive.

“The delegation from earth will consist of no more than two dozen humans, and I have information that they wish to explore Adastra. To visit our cities, to view our lands, and to meet us. I implore you to give them a warm welcome, and to make them see why Adastra is the best place to live in the Galaxy!”

There was a loud cheer from the wolves in the crowd, and polite clapping from the others. Amicus glanced around. There were at least a hundred observers in the crowd, seated away from the table. They all seemed happy with the small speech. He could barely stop his tail from wagging. This is what he always dreamed it would be like.

The meeting continued as normal for some hours, the representatives at the table discussing what their empires would do when the humans arrived. The Khemians were fully on board with the idea of hosting a detachment of diplomats, and the Omfarans, while put off by the prospect of humanity having been abandoned by pretty much every sibling race, agreed to take in an ambassador or two.

The meeting came to a close at the eleventh hour. As was customary, every diplomat greeted Amicus, and he, in turn, bid them farewell. Being emperor was tedious sometimes, but was worth it. After five minutes, the only people left in the chamber were the original group. Amicus glanced around at the people he considered his closest friends and allies. Neferu, Virginia, Cassius, and Scipio. They had served him well.

“Well, does anyone have something to discuss?”

Everyone shook their heads.

“Well then, let’s get to dinner.”

The meal was good, as always, and Amicus went about his evening routine. Even though Marco had been on Adastra for less than a year, Amicus still felt like something was missing when he looked through his room. He’d decided to stay there, instead of moving to the emperor’s chambers. It was just more familiar. He used the dental cleaner, showered, put his underwear on, and crawled into bed. He was almost unable to sleep, knowing that he’d be able to touch Marco again this week. His tail thumped happily against the mattress as he hugged a long pillow, imagining the human in its place.


	2. II

II

Amicus woke to com lightly whispering in his ear. He sat up and waved the drone off.

“What is it, com?”

The drone hovered.

“Emperor, there has been a development in the situation involving the human vessel.”

Amicus sat completely up, and turned his head to the drone.

“What? What kind of development?”

“The humans have launched their expedition earlier than expected. They embarked early this morning.”

Amicus launched himself out of bed, throwing on his robe. He took the barest minimum of time to freshen up and walked to the common area, where Neferu and Scipio were sitting. When he approached, Scipio bowed, while Neferu just sat and gave him the usual apathetic smile.

“I assume you’ve heard the news, Amicus?”

Amicus nodded.

“I have.”

He then addressed com.

“Com, what time are the humans predicted to arrive?”

Com though for a second, calculating the route the Earth ship was taking, then answered.

“Approximately thirteen hours, by the best estimate. They might run into problems, as it is their first stretch drive voyage, which will put the time up to-”

“Yes, com, shut up.”

The computer beeped off.

Scipio looked up from his bow.

“Thirteen hours? That’s a lot quicker than expected.”

Amicus nodded.

“Indeed. Let’s wait for everyone to get up, and we’ll inform the empire.”

Ever since ‘pet’ owning had been banned, Amicus had to grow accustomed to serving himself his own food. He, Neferu, and Scipio were later joined by the rest of the royal family. Cassius looked tired. He’d probably been awoken much earlier by com. Virginia was smirking at him for some unknown reason, and Amicus knew when not to pry.

They sheathed themselves and ate in silence, everyone waiting for someone else to speak. Cassius broke the semi-awkward silence.

“So, what preparations must we make for the arrival of the humans?”

Amicus thought about that. Marco hadn’t really said anything about what humans did to welcome diplomats on Earth, so he’d just have to wing it.

“I suppose we’ll just have to observe regular procedures for welcoming dignitaries. Virginia, you’ll be in charge of the decoration and freshening up of the palace.”

“Finally allowing me to use my ‘feminine sensibilities’, brother?”

Amicus snorted and continued.

“Neferu, Scipio, you’ll both be joining me on the landing pad to welcome them.”

The jackal and maned wolf nodded.

“Cassius, I’m giving you command of security.”

The white wolf looked up, arching an eyebrow.

“I don’t expect any sort of trouble from the delegation, from what I’ve seen of humanity, they’re polite in these types of situations.”

Cassius rolled his eyes, and Amicus decided to ignore him.

“I do, however, anticipate sepratist action. This could possibly be the most important day of the last eight years, and I intend to make sure it goes off without any surprises.”

Cassius nodded, realizing what his role meant. He was always happy to do something important.

Amicus was finished by this point, with breakfast and handing out assignments. They had just a few short hours until the humans arrived.

The emperor walked to his room, and after making sure the door was sealed, spoke to com again.

“Com, do we have visual on the human ship yet?”

“Negative, your highness. Expected camera range is still two hours from their current location at their current velocity.”

Amicus nodded, even though nobody could see him. 

“Inform me when we do.”

“Yes, your highness.”

Com turned off, and Amicus strolled out to the balcony. He watched the waves lap against the shore, then followed the water to the island, and past that to Adastra City. Millions of people, all relying on him to see them through an important time in their history. He felt the weight of his responsibilities fall down onto him, and he collapsed onto the couch. He had felt like this before, and Virginia had given him advice on how to deal with it.

“Things have been fine for eight years. I care for my people. I am not alone in this. My responsibilities are reasonable burdens to bear.”

He repeated this mantra for a minute or two before he felt himself calm. When he did, a face washed across his memory.

“Marco…”

Amicus was instantly rejuvenated by the prospect of seeing Marco again. The humans would be here soon, and with them would be his love.

That was enough to get Amicus off the couch and back onto the balcony. He breathed in the fresh air, smelling the flora around him. Then, he stripped off his clothing and jumped down into the waiting lake.

He’d swum to the island several times during his emperorship, but not nearly as frequently as he had during the time Marco was there. He wasn’t quite as fast as he used to be, but he reached it all the same. The familiar sand between his toes reassured him, and reminded him of the time he’d spent here. The island was his favorite spot on the palace grounds. He walked to a tree that he remembered him and Marco had spent an afternoon under all those years ago. He gave a happy sigh and just appreciated the view for a moment.

The morning sun was phasing into the early afternoon. Amicus stroked his head thoughtfully. Was this really happening? They had been apart for so many years…

A jolt of surprise brought him out of his stupor as he remembered something. He had called the ambassadors to a meeting!

He dove into the water, swimming as fast as he could. He didn’t bring any sort of tech with him, so all he had to go by was the sun’s position in the sky.

When he reached the shore, he found a robe that com had left for him, the computer recognizing that he had gone for a swim. He hastily dried himself and half-ran towards the palace entrance, and then the meeting room.

He swung open the doors, and thankfully the delegation was still filing into the room when he entered. Those standing up bowed, and those sitting down nodded respectfully. Amicus nodded back and took his seat at the head of the table. Cassius, who was occupying the closest chair, leaned over to him and whispered.

“Please tell me you weren’t at that island again.”

Amicus forgot he was emperor for a second, remembering the times Cato had scolded (and beat) him for being late to practice and school. He glared back at Cassius.

“I was. You have a problem with it?”

Cassius smirked and turned his attention back to the table, where everyone was finally seated. Amicus, taking this as his cue, rose and addressed the room.

“Ladies and gentlemen! I have a special announcement to make! This morning, nearly three hours ago, a human vessel embarked from Earth and is expected to arrive within eleven hours!”

There was excited murmuring amongst the crowd, and Amicus stalled for a few seconds to let the information settle.

“This is a momentous occasion! Not only for Adastra, but for all of the siblings! Finally, after eight years, we are able to speak with the civilization that has been so recently uplifted, and that I believe will wish to join the Galaxis!”

There was more excited muttering, this time enunciated by some mild cheers from the crowd.

“And if that is their wish, we must be prepared to greet them as equals, with open arms!”

Amicus sat back down and waited for the discussion to die down. He then spoke again, this time only to the table.

“Has everyone prepared?”

The assorted officials nodded.

“Good, I-”

He was cut off by a drone descending from the ceiling. 

“Emperor, the human vessel has entered stretch camera range.”

“Just now?”

“Yes.”

“Put it on the main screen in this room.”

The drone flew back into the ceiling, and the meeting hall’s gigantic screen came to life. A strange and blocky vessel was displayed, the shimmering space around it meaning it was using a stretch drive. Everyone in the room looked up at it.

It was a medium-sized ship. Certainly larger than Amicus’ personal craft, but smaller than the troop transports and commercial vessels that went to and fro between the planets. There were markings along the side of the ship, but even if Amicus could understand human language, they were obscured by the stretch drive’s shimmering affect.

Cassius looked back down to his brother.

“Is that…”

“Yes, it is.”

Everyone was silent for minutes, finally realizing just how important the day would be.


	3. III

III

-Marco-

Three hours…

Three short hours until we arrive…

I glance out of the window in my cabin. The space is cramped, all I have is a bunk bed which I share with another diplomat, and a small storage closet. All other facilities, restrooms, dining areas, lounges, etc. are communal. The ship is the largest that humanity has ever built for a space voyage, but there’s still a considerable lack of room. I adjust myself as best I can in the cramped bunk. 

I’ll never get used to the way the stars slide past, like blurs, when the stretch drive is active, but I no longer feel nauseous when I look at it.

The door slides open, and my bunkmate, Miguel, comes in. The dark-skinned Honduran smiles, revealing his immaculate teeth.

“Three hours, my friend.”

I smile back.

“So I’ve heard. Are you as excited as I am?”

Miguel is the representative for the Central American Zone, one of the eleven new regions that had been formed by the United Nations following the unification of Earth. It had been a monumental task, but it had paid off. The revelation that the parents existed had shaken humanity to its core, and most of the world’s nations agreed to pursue closer bonds to one another knowing that the rest of the nations in the galaxy had already done so. Things led to others, and soon the United Nations of Earth became the dominant force on the planet.

Miguel responded.

“I am not sure. The opportunity to be among the first of us to make contact with extraterrestrial life is once in a million, and I recognize that, but it is an alien civilization. And I’m supposed to be representing ALL of Central America. That in itself would’ve been impossible a decade ago.”

I nod. There had been some ancient rivalries between nations that had been incredibly hard to resolve. Thankfully, no wars were fought over planetary unification.

“I’m worried that if I mess up, I’ll embarrass the region.”

“Don’t worry, Miguel. They’re quite understanding, and the emperor of Adastra is a kind wolf.”

The Honduran exhales, then smiles.

“Thank you.”

“No problem, mi amigo.”

Miguel laughs at my horrible pronunciation and climbs up into the top bunk.

I get up half an hour later. I walk down the cramped hallway to that deck’s common room, where several ambassadors are milling about. They nod in greeting and continue their discussion.

I walk to the water dispenser and refill my bottle, taking a drink of the cool liquid. The trip had taken only a day, but there are still considerable cargo requirements for the mission. I didn’t anticipate that we’d have to stay onboard, but that was a possibility. So, space is at a premium.

I jump and nearly spill my water when someone taps me on the shoulder, scaring me. I turn to see the head ambassador.

“Oh, my apologies Mr. Smith.” The old man replies in his Japanese accent. “I just wanted to let you know that there will be a final discussion before we reach Adastra in the meeting room.”

“Thank you, Ambassador Kyoshi.”

The ambassador smiles and walks towards the meeting room, and I follow. He’s at least a foot and a half shorter than me, but he couldn’t help but feel intimidated by the wrinkly old man. He has an air about him of someone who knows what they’re doing. I know that Kyoshi had been a major figure in the UN before the unification.

The conference room is packed with all the representatives of the eleven districts, and their advisor teams. I’m currently the only expert on Adastra in the UNE, so I occupy a seat at the main table. I watch the diplomats from North America, South America, Central America, North Africa, South Africa, West Europe, East Europe, Eurasia, East Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East take their places. Once he’s sure everyone is here, Kyoshi begins his pep-talk.

“My friends, the time has come. In two hours, we will set foot on an alien moon. I hope every one of you has prepared, and knows how important this is to Earth’s future.”

Everyone either nods or murmurs their agreement.

“Excellent. Now, if everyone would retire from this room and prepare, we have-” Kyoshi checks his watch, “-two hours and fifteen minutes left.”

The diplomats get up and start talking among themselves, and Kyoshi walks over to me.

“Mr. Smith, is there anything that you wish to discuss pertaining to the arrival today?”

“No, sir.”

“You need not call me sir, Mr. Smith. Mitsugu will do.”

I nod, and the ambassador smiles.

“Well then, I’d best be off to prepare.”

The old man walks away towards the deck’s restroom, leaving me alone in the meeting room. I think about what I’ll do once we arrive. Surely, as much as I want to, I can’t just run up and embrace Amicus. We have to keep up diplomatic appearances, after all, and running up to my wolf and kissing him like a teenager wouldn’t be the best option if I want to preserve the dignity of the diplomatic mission as well as that of the wolves. I’ll just have to wait until we’re alone. 

I’m snapped out of my thoughts when the ship’s PA beeps on.

“Attention crew, this is Captain Aidosev. We will be arriving at the Stella Vita system in approximately two hours, please make the necessary preparations. All diplomatic mission members and security personnel must report to the loading and unloading bay for a final briefing within the hour.”

The PA shuts down with a beep, and I look down at myself. I’m wearing a standard jumpsuit, like everyone else on the ship. It’s a functional grey one-piece, but I’ll probably need to put something more formal on.

Miguel has already changed into a chalk-blue suit with the UNE flag embroidered on its lapel, the new standard uniform of human ambassadors, but I’ve gotten special permission to wear something that deviates slightly. I walk to the storage closet and pull out a blue toga, also embroidered. I’ve taken a liking to the ancient Roman style of dress after my return to Earth. I drape it over myself in a fluid motion.

I turn around when I hear Miguel snicker.

“What?”

“You look ridiculous, my friend.”

I inspect myself in the mirror. I have to admit, I’d look silly to anyone who isn’t used to robes like I am.

“Just you wait, I’m gonna be the only one that looks normal on Adastra.”

“Sure, sure.”

We both stand, looking out of the small window before the captain comes over the PA again.

“Fifteen minutes until the meeting starts.”

“We’d better go.”

“Agreed.”

We join the trickle of people walking to the meeting. When we walk into the loading bay, there are several dozen folding chairs, crates, and benches for people to sit at. Ambassador Kyoshi, Captain Aidosev, and the security chief, Ellis Palmer, are all standing at an improvised podium. The loading bay is the largest room on the ship, so there’s ample space for people to mill about. Miguel and I are among the last to come into the room.

Five minutes later, they start. The first to speak is Kyoshi.

“As I do not have time for any sort of grand speech, I will keep this short. We are an hour’s time from Adastra. The moment that we have been working toward for years is at hand, and we should be honored that we’ve been chosen for this task. Needless to say, each one of you should be on your best form today, as this is the most important first impression most of us will ever make. Now, Colonel Palmer?”

The burly Texan steps forward.

“Thank you, ambassador. Now, whilst we don’t expect the wolves to allow a full security contingent on their planet, for obvious reasons, we should remain on standby if anything goes sour. Events like this are known to go awry, and while I’d like to avoid an ‘I told you so’ situation, it might be possible that something could happen. Our priority is the safe completion of the mission and the protection of UNE citizens.”

The guards in the room nod and give cheers of agreement, and Ambassador Kyoshi steps forward again.

“Alright, now we must make final arrangements. I will be leading the first group off of the dropship, and I ask Mr. Smith to accompany me. We will be followed by the respective representatives of the eleven districts.”

I’m slightly surprised, but I probably shouldn’t be. I’m the only semi-friendly face to the wolves amongst the crew. Kyoshi probably wants to give them a sense of trust.

The rest of the meeting is over basic things, like positioning and planning. I feel like I’m in middle school drama class all over again with the amount of intricacy to standing up and walking around.

Thirty minutes pass, and the captain brings the assembly to a halt.

“My navigator informs me that we’re going to arrive in a few minutes. Everyone get to the shuttle and strap in.”

Kyoshi beckons the ambassadors and I to the airlock leading to the smaller vessel fixed to the underside of the ship. The ship itself was built in space, and wasn’t designed for atmosphere, so we had taken a smaller atmosphere-capable shuttle to aid us in reaching the surface. I strap myself into a window seat, eager to see the moon where Amicus awaits me.


	4. IV

IV

-Marco-

The ship comes out of stretch space with a shudder, and moments later, the shuttle detaches with a soft clunk and begins its descent. I look at the Stella Vita system. 

Adastra is directly in front of us, so the only planetary body I can see is Torque, the other moon of Ancoris. Vita is blazing, like it had been all those years ago when I’d first entered the system. The only thing different from then is the amount of ships orbiting the moon. It seems Amicus had been making good on his policies of diplomacy. The cockpit is open to the rest of the shuttle, so I can hear the pilots conversing with someone over the radio.

“Human vessel, you are cleared for landing at the Imperial Palace Hangar. Please check your navigation systems for uploaded information.”

“Thank you, we will land shortly.”

The shuttle dips down and the strange phenomenon that’d happened when I first came to the moon started. Glancing around, I can see some of the passengers looking outside and exclaiming, and some are just looking down and holding their stomachs. I strain my eyes and can just faintly make out Adastra City beneath the clouds as we descend.

-Amicus-

I look through a telescope at the approaching shuttle. They had cleared the atmospheric wall seconds ago and were now firing thrusters, slowing down in preparation for landing. I take my face away from the telescope and give the signal to the delegation to form up in the center of the hangar, making sure the humans have enough space to land. I’d received word that they had downloaded telemetry from planetary docking control.

“Your majesty?”

I turn to see Scipio nervously examining his mane. We’d all been on edge for the final hours before the human arrival.

“Scipio? I told you, Amicus is fine.”

The maned wolf looks up and corrects himself.

“Sorry, Amicus. Do I look alright? Is there anything wrong with me?”

“You look fine, I’m sure the humans will be impressed.”

-Marco-

I turn to face Miguel, who’s craning his neck to look out of the window. 

“Woah…”

“Woah indeed.”

I almost gasp as I recognize the place we’d be landing. The lake, the lush gardens, and the lawn of the imperial palace all come into view.

“Damn, that’s a nice place they have. Reminds me of Ancient Rome, which I guess it should.”

“Yep. That’s where I spent my time when I was here.”

“Ah, so I’ll have someone who knows where everything is to talk to. Excellent.”

I smile, and Miguel grins back. Spirits are high, and those who had to avert their eyes during re-entry now look out at the rolling fields of Adastra. I see Ambassador Kyoshi stand up, and the forward rows follow suit.

I stand and make my way to the door, standing next to Kyoshi. We exchange looks before I speak.

“Well, here goes.”

“Indeed. Actually, I think you should be first.”

“But you’re the guy in charge here!”

“I am, but you would make the most impact if you came out first. It would certainty put the emperor’s mind at peace to see you again.”

I blush. My relationship with Amicus had been mostly a secret, but I’d disclosed it to Kyoshi and a few others. I kind of don’t want to be the first one off, but Kyoshi makes a good point. It would be good for the wolves to see a friendly face.

“I’ll go first, then.”

“There’s a good man.”

Kyoshi maneuvers behind me, and I steps forward, facing the heavy door. I’m was starting to get that butterflies in my stomach feeling, like I’d gotten before the first trial. I swallow and try not to sweat.

The wolves in Adastra City look up from their television screens as the very thing they were watching passes overhead. The shuttle maneuvers over the lake and slows down over the hangar, the roof folding open to reveal the landing pad.

-Amicus-

I can now get a better look at the strange vessel. It’s quite foreign in appearance, but slightly reminds me of Khemian tech with the way it was geometrically designed. It stops and hovers overhead. 

I wish I could read the human language so that I could figure out what the markings on the bottom said, but I can recognize a symbol painted onto the ship, a map of earth with stalks of wheat surrounding it. They symbol of the United Nations.

-Marco-

I can hardly keep my eyes from the door window, taking in all the familiar sights of the palace as we descend towards the planet. Waves of equal parts nostalgia and apprehension wash over me, making him feel slightly nauseous.

The shuttle touches down with a rumble as the landing gear drops down and the thrusters fire one last time. Humanity has reached Adastra. 

I hesitate for a moment, then touch the panel that opens the outer door, and it clicks as it unlockes. It swings open with a blast of humid air.

I blink at the sudden daylight, and then look downwards towards the waiting aliens.

-Amicus-

I can hardly contain myself when Marco appears in the doorway to the ship. So many years of loneliness, so many emotions, so many things I want to say and do, all came to me at just one glance of the human I love.

-Marco-

I study the people flanking Amicus. Surprisingly, Neferu is here, and another wolf I vaguely recognize. I can also see Virginia in the background. 

“Mr. Smith?”

The ambassador’s voice prompts me to start walking down the steps that’d folded outwards from the ship, whilst taking care not to trip over my robe. Falling flat on my face wouldn’t be a good impression. I can hear Kyoshi and the rest of the mission following close behind me

-Amicus-

I signal my entourage to walk forward and meet the humans halfway towards the shuttle. I try to keep his pace steady, but my legs seem to want to sprint forward and embrace Marco. Neferu and Scipio followed a few feet behind me. Nevertheless, I manage to keep a hold on myself.

-Marco-

We meet in between the ship and the door. Amicus extends a paw, and I take it. He leans closer and whispers.

“We can’t have a proper reunion here, appearances and all that.”

I nod and we break the handshake. We’d just have to wait.

Amicus looks up from me, and to the rest of the humans now coming out of the ship. He speaks, as much to the rest of the delegation as to me.

“Welcome to Adastra.”

The humans and wolves in their respective ends of the room cheer, and the formal atmosphere is all but broken. The delegations spread out amongst the room and start greeting one another. Amicus and I smile at each other before Kyoshi walks up.

“Your majesty, thank you for this opportunity to come into diplomatic contact with your people. You have the gratitude of the United Nations of Earth.”

The wolf smiles, and I can tell he’s trying to avoid stooping down to shake the old man’s hand. They maintain eye contact briefly, before Kyoshi relinquishes his paw.

“Of course, my foreign policy is one of openness towards all other civilizations, especially towards those as interesting and amiable as humanity.” 

Kyoshi nods his approval and walks away to greet the other assorted wolves. 

We stick close to each other for the rest of the hour, and only a few glances are shot our way, mostly from those select few who know the details of our relationship. Eventually, Amicus signals the party to move indoors.

“Come, everyone. You must be tired and hungry from your journey, there are refreshments inside.”

Everyone moves to the dining hall, escorted by Neferu and Virginia. Amicus holds us back, then walks slowly inside as the last people exit the hangar.

What is he doing?

Amicus seems to be slowing us down, and soon enough, the trailing robes and suits of the diplomats disappear around a corner. Amicus leads us into a small hallway, then looks directly into my eyes. I realized what he wants

Our lips connect. Kissing Amicus hasn’t lost any of the electricity it’d sparked during that first awkward time on the island. He pushes his face against mine, neither of us wanting to break away from the other after so many years apart.

He breaks the kiss after what feels like hours, but must’ve been only a minute or so. We simply stare at each other. 

“I-”

He stops talking and simply breaks down into tears slumping against me. I do my best to support him, and I realize that I’m crying too. We crumple to the floor, and I realize just how much he’d been holding back when he shook my hand. That’d been our first real contact in years. I stroke his head, and he melts into my lap. He gives a shuddering sigh before sitting back up, looking me directly in the eye.

“I missed you so much…”

“I missed you too.”

I nearly break out into tears again as I realize that we can really be together again. The worst was over, we no longer had to fear for our lives, and I didn’t have to leave him ever again.

We stood back up, him helping me to my feet. He gives a warm smile before breaking back out into that grin of his.

“Welcome home.”


	5. V

V

-Marco-

The meeting room is packed with wolves and humans alike when we get there, but some stand aside and make room for Amicus and I. He waves to the crowd, then turns his head to me.

“Sorry we can’t get some alone time right now, but I have to be here. Good for the empire’s image and all that.”

I nod.

“As long as I can be near you. I just want to make sure all of this is real.”

His tail wags slightly, only enough for me to see.

The evening is a blur, filled with countless greetings and well wishes by the wolves I hadn’t met eight years ago. I’m beginning to feel out of my depth when a friendly muzzle pokes its way through the crowd.

“Well, look who it is.”

I look up and see a familiar gold pattern emblazoned on black fur. As soon as I do, Neferu pulls me into a hug. I return it tentatively, as Amicus is standing behind us and I’m still not sure about how they feel about each other. The jackal pulls away before things get too awkward. His usual smug grin is gone now, replaced by a genuine smile.

“Nice to see you too, Neferu.”

“Quite, I wasn’t sure if we’d ever see you again. Unifying one’s planet can be a hard job.”

Amicus steps up next to me.

“Marco is and was fully capable of anything he had to do.”

Neferu put on his usual expression.

“I apologize, your Imperial Majesty, I didn’t mean to imply that your human was sub-capable in any way. Please, allow me to bow before you.”

Neferu stoops down sarcastically, waving his paws with a flourish. I can tell he’s teasing Amicus, and thankfully, the wolf doesn’t seem to take it personally. When Neferu stands back up, they regard each other for a moment. I start to wonder if I’ll have to break up a fight before they smile. 

Neferu notices a table with wine goblets on it near us, and he slides back into the crowd as quickly as he approached. I glance at Amicus.

“So, are you and Neferu on better terms?”

He seems confused.

“You mean compared to when you left? Yes, I believe so. The years have given us time to ‘understand’ each other, even if I still don’t like him all that much.”

“You should really give him a chance, he’s somewhat nice if you get past the aura of smugness.”

Amicus scoffs and we resume our evening. By the time night falls, it seems everyone has been properly introduced to one another and Amicus makes his way to a raised pedestal in the center of the room.

He clears his throat, which is amplified by the drone hovering next to him.

“By now, I trust everyone has been given an introduction. As it is getting late, I suggest we resume diplomatic talks tomorrow, after everyone has rested.”

He gestures to the large doors that lead to the palace’s main atrium.

“If you would make your way to the lawn, there is transportation waiting to take you to the city, where accommodation will be provided.”

I hear a few sighs of relief from human ambassadors realizing they won’t have to spend their time here sleeping in cramped ship bunks.

As soon as Amicus steps down from the podium, the crowd drifts towards the doors. I can’t see over most of them, but Amicus grabs my hand and leads me towards the hallway. It looks like I won’t be staying in the city.

He leads me to a familiar door, and it opens with a soft swoosh when he puts a paw to the black panel.

His room is almost exactly how I remember it, apart from the couch being replaced by some sort of desk. He turns to face me when the door clicks shut.

We collapse into each other’s arms like we had in the hallway. I’m now completely convinced that this isn’t some sort of disease-induced fever dream. I hear my wolf’s tail happily thumping against the floor while we sit.

“Marco, I’m so happy-”

I just put my hand to his muzzle and gently stroke him, reassuring him that I’m here. He shudders at my touch. We make our way to his bed, and he flops backwards onto the mattress, taking me with him. 

I rest on top of him, his breathing gently taking me up and down. We kiss, but not as forcefully as last time. For now, we’re just content being able to hold each other and drift off.

-Cassius-

I walk down the hallway, wondering why my brother assigned me to be in charge of security for the event. Surely, Com could’ve just handled it all with drones. I chalk it up to him wanting to give me something to do. I get angry thinking about it.

“Why does everyone have to feel so fucking sorry for me?!”

I stop walking, recognizing where I am. The gardens. The scene brings back memories of three years ago…

I walk to me and Alex’s scheduled meeting point. He’s already there, but instead of his welcoming smile, the cat wears a scowl. I walk forward to ask him what’s wrong, but he initiates the conversation before I can open my mouth.

“Cassius.”

I know something’s wrong. He never calls me by my full name.

“Alex? What’s wrong.”

“Please refrain from using my nickname, I am Alexios.”

I’m stunned. Is it something I did?

“Alex, what-”

“I’m leaving for Omorfa tonight.”

I’m stunned. He hadn’t told me anything previously about leaving.

“As I am leaving, I see no reason for this relationship to continue. You are no longer of use to me.”

I can barely process what he said. 

“W-, wha-”

Alex turns and strides down the path towards the palace, and I scramble to follow him. Surly, I’d misheard or misunderstood him. He turns when he sees me following.

“Did I not make myself clear? We do not need to speak anymore.”

I feel anger beginning to overtake grief. I now see the cat before me in a new light, one that everyone else has already seen him.

“Wait just a second, are you saying that our relationship was a front? A scam?”

He frowns.

“Yes.”

My heart thuds in my chest while I try to comprehend what he’d just admitted.

“You, tricked me…”

He smiles, but it isn’t his usual calming half-grin. It's a condescending smirk. I can feel my fist clench, and my jaw hardens.

“I did. You were quite easy to fool, actually. I’m surprised you still bought it after the wine poisoning incide-”

He’s cut off by a thud of flesh hitting flesh. I feel something in my paw crack, but the pain in my fingers is overshadowed by the satisfaction of seeing Alex yowl and stumble backwards, clutching his now bleeding nose.

“You, hit me!”

He sounds incredulous, which makes me angrier. I was in the right here.

“I did.”

I move forward, cutting him off from his path to the palace. He glances around, worried. I try not to think about the throbbing pain in my paw while I stare him down.

“All this time, you’ve been pretending? SIX FUCKING YEARS?!”

He flinched back and I’m satisfied to see fear in his eyes. I hear someone running down the path behind me. I don’t turn to look, as I want to keep eye contact with Alex. I hear my sister’s voice a few feet behind me.

“I heard shouting, what’s going o-”

She pauses as she seems to take in the situation.

“Cassius? Alexios? What’s going on?”

“This brute punched me!”

Virginia turns to look at me, confused.

“Cass? What’s-”

“He, he manipulated me. All these years, all those times he was there for me, all a farce. I-”

“You just struck an ambassador from Omorfa! I’ll make sure my superiors know of this!”

Virginia turns, and Alex shrinks back down under her glare.

“Is that true?”

Alex glares back at her. Then, he stands up and looks as presentable as he can, knowing he’s done here. We watch him leave. As soon as he’s out of sight, I permit myself a sob. I can’t stop the torrent of saltwater coming from my eyes, and Virginia looks worried.

“Cass, your paw…”

I look down, bleary-eyed. There’s a nasty looking bruise forming where my knuckle struck Alex’s nose.

“Please, leave me…”

Virginia nods and leaves, after glancing back at me one more time.

I shake my head, clearing my memories. That was three years ago, and I’d had time to recover and think about what Alexios had said to me. Maybe I was easy to manipulate then, but not now. Nobody’s going to exploit me ever again, I’d had enough of it.

I whirl around on the spot when I hear a rustle in the hedge behind me.

“Who’s there?”

No answer, and I’m outside of Com’s range. I move closer to investigate, then I see a familiar tail dart around the corner. One that I hadn’t seen in nearly a decade. I stop in my tracks as icy daggers of fear shoot through my body.

“No…”


	6. VI

VI

-Marco-

The cold in Amicus’ room is almost unnoticeable next to the warmth radiating from him. We’d fallen asleep like this, him surrounding me, resting his chin on my scalp. Its the most comfortable I’ve been in years.

I can feel him waking up a few minutes after me. I remain still, not wanting to disturb him. He stretches out, then stops abruptly. I turn to see his eyes widen, and he stares at me. He then relaxes, and smiles apologetically.

“Sorry, I’m just not used to waking up next to you…”

I pull his face into a short kiss, then pivot myself out of his embrace and stand up.

“I’m gonna take a shower, are you coming?”

He wags his tail and follows me into the bathroom. We go about our old morning routine, barely getting out of one another’s sight for an hour. When we finish, we end up standing on the balcony. The cool autumn breeze rustles our hair, and he takes my hand.

He puts it on his, and I see our rings together. It’s been eight years since he gave me that ring, and I’ve barely taken it off. It's been my only reminder of him for the whole time I was trying to bring Earth around to the idea that aliens existed. I’d almost given up at several points, but every time I thought about calling it quits, I’d look down at my hand and see the stretch ring.

Tears well up in my eyes and I put them down, with some effort. Our fingers intertwine and we gaze across the water at Adastra City. I wonder how my colleagues are doing…

-Miguel-

I change into the only non-formal outfit I’d brought in the apartment the wolves have given me. It looks a lot like a semi-luxury hotel would back on Earth, nice bed, chrome appliances, large windows with a nice view of the city I’m in. I wonder if this is standard accommodation out here, or if we’re getting the royal treatment.

Either way, it's nice to have a place to relax, especially because they put all of us humans in the same building, so I can talk to the only members of my species for millions of miles.

That being said, conversation with humans isn’t on my list of priorities. I’m here to experience Adastra, and since we have most of the day off, I gather a few friends I’ve made and we set off to see the city. We have a guide, a young wolf called Quintus. He’s wearing pants under his Romanesque toga, which seems to be a trend among the youth here.

“So, downtown is where all of the tourist stuff is, if you wanna get to know the city you go to the west district, on the lake. That’s where all the history is, and the people there are more friendly. It also has a crime rate lower than standard, so you’ll be safe.”

I nod. Antonius seems to be knowledgeable of the city.

“So, how long have you lived here, Quintus?”

“I was born here, twenty-three years ago. I was just a pup during the Cato Riots.”

I grimace, remembering what Marco had told me about then. Apparently there were dozens of deaths across the city from political violence, not unlike some of Earth’s past events. 

“Sorry about that, must’ve been terrifying.”

Quintus smiles.

“It was, but I’m over it now. I wasn’t really directly affected, except for a few bruises from a street fight.”

I nod. We walk in silence until he breaks it.

“So, where're you from, ambassador?”

“Ah, I don’t want any part of that political title stuff, just call me Miguel.”

“Alright Miguel. That’s a nice sounding name.”

“Thanks. To answer your question, I’m from Tegucigalpa.”

He looks at me.

“You what?”

I laugh, and before he thinks I’m insulting him, I explain.

“A city in Central America, used to be the capital of Honduras before the unification.”

“Ah, okay. I studied a bit of Earth geography before your delegation arrived, and I must say I’m impressed at the amount of variety humans have.”

“Well, there are a lot of us. I’ve been told eight billion is a lot.” 

It’s Antonius’ turn to laugh.

“That’s a tremendous number, I’m surprised you haven’t stripped your planet bare by now.”

We engage in small talk about Earth for a while, eventually the other people that came with us go off on their own, leaving Antonius and I to continue over some food at a restaurant. It's actually pretty nice, definitely not the alien surroundings I was expecting. It almost reminds me of old cities in Latin America with the narrow streets and stone roads.

Soon, the sun, or Vita as I’m supposed to call it, begins to sink low, touching the roofs of downtown skyscrapers. Antonius stands up.

“Well, looks like we have to be going. The first meeting starts in an hour, yes?”

“I think so, I’m still not sure how hours and days work here.”

We walk towards the street, and catch a chariot going to the building where I’d been staying. I change back into a suit and join the rest of the delegation going to the palace for the evening.

We get there, but unlike yesterday, the tone of the meeting is much more serious. Everyone is directed to their seats in the vast meeting hall, where the emperor and his entourage are waiting. He sure is an impressive wolf.

I’m slightly surprised to see Marco sitting at his side. Of course, he’d told me that they knew each other pretty well, but they seemed quite close. I’d have to ask him about that later. 

Then, the emperor stands up and everyone quiets down.

-Marco-

Amicus’ voice carries through the room.

“Greetings, human and sibling friends. This is a historical event, perhaps the most important meetings of our lives. A new race has entered the galactic nation, something unheard of for our thousands of years of existence. Humanity has proven itself an equal in intellect to any sapient race, and I will do my best to make the United Nations of Earth feel welcome in the Galaxis.”

He waits a moment for the cheers from humans and wolves to die down, then continues.

“Now, diplomatic talks may begin over the integration of Earth into the galactic community.”

He sits, and gestures for Ambassador Kyoshi to begin. He’s at the opposite end of the table, and when he stands up, he looks miniscule compared to Amicus.

“Thank you for the kind words of welcome, emperor. Humans have longed to travel beyond our planet for centuries, but it is now possible, which means we will do our part to preserve peace and good health for all sapient beings.”

He pauses, looking at a glass tablet in front of him.

“Now, to begin, the government of Earth has asked me to-”

The discourse continues for some time, topics ranging from mining rights to military buildup, and by the time it’s over I can see Amicus getting tired. I’ve had to answer several questions from him and other wolves about Earth and humans, and I’ve had to explain wolven ways to some members of the human group. Amicus called my position a “Cultural Translator”, which makes me feel kind of important.

It's been at least two hours since the meeting began, and everyone mills about in the atrium, but this time there’s a guided tour of the palace available. I see some people, including Miguel, taking the opportunity to learn more about the building. He notices me looking at him and we nod to each other.

Amicus and I head towards our room, but he steers us away from the main hallway, then takes us outside. 

“Amicus?”

“Hmm?”

“Where are we going?”

He grins and points towards the lapping waves at the shore.

“I figured that a trip to the island would do both of us some good.”

I like the idea.

I take the sightseer, whilst Amicus strips and dives into the water. He’s a lot faster than the slow hovercraft, so he’s already there once I make it across the lake. I stop at the shore, and we meet on the beach. He’s soaked from the swim, but I don’t care about that as I get closer to him.

-Neferu-

I walk down the empty halls of the palace. The humans left hours ago, and I really should be sleeping, but I can’t. Something feels off…

I turn down one of the less used halls. The royal family isn’t nearly large enough to fully occupy the building, which is why I’m allowed to stay here. The hall I’m now walking down only leads to storage closets and guest rooms.

As I’m thinking, something hits me. At first, I wonder why my fur is standing up on the back of my neck, but then I sense someone or something standing behind me. I whirl around see…

Nothing.

Nothing’s there but a faint smell. I inhale deeply, trying to determine what it is. My nose isn’t on par with a wolf’s, but it's still good enough to recognize the smell of blood. I panic briefly, then try and get myself under control.

I take off down the hall, towards the scent. As I round a corner, I see what smells like blood. I scream.

“Ahhotep!”


	7. VII

VII

-Marco-

Because Amicus is exhausted from our ‘activities’ on the island, we both take the sightseer back. We’d brought a bottle of wine or two, so I was pleasantly buzzed. Amicus would probably need a few more to get actually intoxicated.

We land near the palace, and as we’re walking back up through the gardens, Amicus’ ears swivel towards the entrance to the gardens. I look that way, and I suddenly hear someone yelling.

“FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK!”

I recognize that voice.

Neferu comes bolting out of the palace doors, sees me and Amicus, and rushes towards us. Amicus steps in front of me protectively.

“Neferu? What’s-”

The jackal interrupts Amicus.

“Amicus, there’s, there’s a body in the palace, I- I was taking a walk and, fuck-”

Amicus looks stunned, then angry, the scared all at once.

“Are you sure? Where is it? Who is it?”

Neferu looks up at him.

“That’s what I came to tell you, the body, it’s a human. An ambassador”

Amicus freezes up, and the calamity unfolding seems to hit me like a brick. The death of an ambassador could mean the end of all talks with Earth for the time being.

“Show me.”

Neferu nods, then starts to walk back after catching his breath. Amicus and I follow, but he turns back to me.

“Marco, you don’t have to-”

“No, I want to see. I’m as involved in this as you.”

“Are you sure?”

I just nod. Neferu leads us into a hallway that isn’t in much use. On the way, Amicus activates com.

“Com, wake Cassius and Virginia, and lead them to our location. They’ll want to be here.”

Neferu halts before a corner, and even though my nose isn’t as powerful as a canine’s, I can still smell blood. It reminds me of that one time I died. We walk past Neferu and turn to look.

My hand covers my mouth, and I gasp. Slumped on the floor, bleeding from a deep stab wound, a pool of blood surrounding him, is Miguel. He looks like he’s only been dead for a few hours. My legs almost fail me, but I’m able to steady myself against Amicus, whose jaw is set in a grimace. 

“Marco? Are you alright?”

I nod, then exhale.

“Do you know this human is?”

“He’s Miguel Galvez. The ambassador for Central America.”

Amicus puts a paw to his forehead, and he starts breathing heavily.

“Shit. Shit, SHIT!”

Amicus barks at com.

“COM! Are there any cameras or microphones in my location that’ve been recording for the past day?!”

Com thinks for a second.

“No, emperor.”

“DAMN IT!”

I fall to the ground, and slump against a wall. Amicus seems to snap out of his rage when he hears me dry sob.

He squats down, and envelops me in a huge furry hug. I reflexively cling to him.

This isn’t happening. I thought I was done with this shit. No more political scheming, no more murder, no more fear for my life, or Amicus’s, or anyone else’s. I was promised a bright future after eight years, and three days after Amicus and I finally reunited, this happens.

I glance at Miguel’s body. Why him? Why did whoever killed him choose him in particular? Couldn’t it have been someone else.

I know I’m being selfish, but I don’t care. It seems like the universe is going out of its way to hurt me. 

Miguel had been upright and smiling hours before. He seemed happy, he had a role that suited him, and that was stolen from him. Anger replaces fear and grief, and I direct it towards what I believe to be the source of most of my problems.

The Parents have been fucking with mortal life for millenea, and never once were they made to answer to anyone. They’re playing gods.

Before I can rush to the archives to speak with them, a familiar voice resonates in my skull.

“This was… unforeseen. Prepare for a challenge.”

I try to figure out what he’d meant. DId that mean that the parents were going to challenge me, or that apprehending the knife murderer would be a challenge. Either way, I’m still mad at them. For omniscient beings, they sure didn’t know everything they claimed they did.

Amicus can probably feel my emotions shift. He pulls his head away from mine and looks at me with a puzzled expression. I stand back up.

Miguel’s suit is soaked with blood. It's everywhere, but it’s darker near the hole in the fabric. One look confirms it’s a stab wound, probably from a shortsword or dagger. How could this happen?

I can hear Amicus muttering to himself, and it seems he’s wondering the same thing. I’m going to ask him something, but then Virginia and Cassius show up. Virginia gasps and Cassius grimaces. She stays back, talking to Neferu, while Cassius walks over to us.

“Brother, what happened?”

“I- I don’t know. Neferu says he found him here ten minutes ago. Looks like he’s been dead for hours.”

I then notice Amicus glaring at Cassius, and the white wolf shrinks under his gaze. I wonder what’s going on between them.

-Cassius-

I fucked up.

I really fucked up.

Amicus had entrusted me with security, and the third day the humans are here, one of them is murdered in the same building where we all sleep. Obviously, this isn’t good.

I stoop down to examine the body. 

Yep. Dead. Very dead.

I then catch a whiff of something, and look up, past Amicus and Marco, past Neferu and Virginia, further down the hallway. I see it again, the spectre I saw in the garden. I freeze in terror.

Amicus must’ve detected my change in mood, because he looks down at me.

“Cassius? What is it?”

I shake my head, and it disappears. I stand up quickly.

“Nothing, just thinking.”

Amicus shoots me a suspicious look, then continues to comfort Marco, who’s reacting badly to all of this. I think about saying something, but then I stifle myself.

I still can’t shake that image out of my head. It was like he was standing there, but there was something off about him. I couldn’t specify what, but it felt wrong. And not wrong because he was supposed to be dead, but because it was like he wasn’t there physically. Like some kind of ghost.

I walk back to where the apparition had appeared, but find nothing. Just polished floors and clean walls. I walk back over to the group.

-Neferu-

“Well, this is a development.”

I’ve managed to regain my composure, and Virginia is asking me about what’d happened. I told her everything, how I was walking and smelled blood, how I’d found the ambassador, how I’d run outside and found Amicus and Marco returning from the island.

She nods and thinks.

“Yes, it is. This will obviously be very problematic. The humans will not take well to an important delegate being murdered under our noses.”

“Indeed.”

We watch Cassius and Amicus having some sort of hushed argument, while Marco looks on in confusion and slight anger. I can’t tell who he’s angry at, but I know the feeling he gives off. For such a small primate, he gets furious sometimes.

Virginia clears her throat.

“Yes?”

“Neferu, do you realize the full implications of this?”

She doesn’t wait for me to respond.

“Someone here killed him.”

I recoil in shock.

“Wait, do you mean one of us in this hallway?!”

She shakes her head.

“No. I’m not saying that isn’t a possibility, but it’d have to be someone that was here at the meeting. So that means either one of the wolf diplomats, or one of the humans themselves.”

“But why? This could derail the whole reason they’re hear, who’d have the motivation to do this?”

Virginia shakes her head.

“I have no idea.”


	8. VIII

VIII

-Cassius-

“So, there’s absolutely nothing we can go off of to find the killer?”

Amicus shakes his head. We’re in a room near the hallway. We thought we should talk privately before morning came, and before we would reveal what’d happened to the moon.

“Nope, nothing. The first person to see the body was Neferu.”

I think about that. The jackal was the first person to see the body, it’s not that far of a stretch to think that-

“Do you think it was him?”

I can’t stop the words from leaving my mouth. Amicus furrows his brow at me in confusion.

“Why would you suggest that?”

“It’s just that he was the only one up and about when the ambassador was killed. He very well could’ve-”

“Cass, I’m going to stop you there. What motivation would he have? Khemia seems to want an alliance with Earth as much as we do.”

I consider that. It would be a stretch to think that Neferu would murder a human.

“Well then, who?”

Amicus shakes his head.

“I don’t know.”

An icy spear of dread runs down my spine.

“Or what…” I mutter under my breath.

The apparitions that I’ve been seeing for a few days swim to the forefront of my mind. Of course, I’ve been explaining them off as lack of sleep, or stress from the ongoing events. But now, I’m second guessing those reasons. Maybe there is something going on.

“Cassius?”

Amicus can tell that something’s wrong. I clear my throat.

“Um, I was just thinking.”

I glance around, then lean into him, lowering my voice.

“I, um, I’ve been seeing things.”

Well, that just sounds like I’m insane.

“Not like, visions or anything crazy, but like, I don’t know. You know what, never mind.”

He stands up.

“Tell me.”

I look up at him.

“I said nevermind.”

“I don’t care. Tell me.”

I grit my teeth, but there’s no going back now. 

“It started a few days ago, in the gardens. I was walking around, thinking about things, and I saw something.”

“Something?”

Amicus seems to have taken interest in my story.

“Yes. A tail.”

He tilts his head.

“A tail?”

“If you aren’t going to let me finish, then I’ll just leave.”

He scowls, but keeps his mouth closed. II take that as a sign to continue.

“I recognized it. I- I’m not sure what this means, but I thought it was Cato’s.”

My older brother recoils at the mention of the wolf who almost destroyed the empire.

“What?!”

I frown.

“If you don’t want to believe me, then can I leave?”

He shakes his head.

“Sorry, this is just a bit too much to handle. Go on.”

I sigh, then continue.

“I was asleep yesterday, and I saw him again. It was just a flash, then he was gone when I sat up in bed. But it was real. Then I saw him again a few hours ago. It was just after I saw the body. He was just standing there, and he didn’t just disappear immediately. He was there for at least three seconds.”

Amicus sits back. I can practically hear the wheels in his head turning as he tries to process this new information, but I’m not sure if he believes me or not. Shit, I’m not sure if I believe me.

“So… Cato? First of all, how is that possible? I ripped his throat out!”

My memories of that day end with me being poisoned, so all I had to go on were everyone else’s reports of the events that led to Amicus’ emperorship. It sounded brutal.

“I don’t know, I really don’t. I still don’t think it really means anything, maybe it’s just the stress from the past half a week?”

“I’m not so sure about that. If it is stress, I think you probably would’ve had similar experiences while on the throne, right?”

I think about that. He makes a good point, I was certainly more unstable then than I am now.

“I suppose. If that isn’t the case, what do you think it is?”

He frowns and shakes his head.

“No clue. I’ll talk to the parents about it, maybe they’ll have some answers. This whole thing has been their doing, after all.”

Amicus’ mood sours as he thinks about the parents. He and I are some of the only wolves on Adastra that see them as they truly are, manipulative interdimensional entities playing gods.

“I suppose that might be our best option. If anything else happens, I’ll notify you.”

I turn to walk out of the room, but I’m stopped by a strange thought. Amicus is especially forlorn-looking in the center of the room. In a few short hours, he’ll have to go and tell the news networks about the murder, which might bring all diplomacy with Earth to a standstill. I can feel the burden on his shoulders getting heavier.

“And brother, good luck.”

I exit before he can respond.


	9. VIV

VIV

-Marco-

I’m in my and Amicus’ room, staring at the screen displaying a news channel. He’s in the midst of telling the empire about what’d happened last night.

“Rest assured that I have taken measures to prevent anything like this from happening again. I want to make sure that Adastra is a safe place for any visiting alien, be they sibling or human.”

He steps down from the podium he was speaking at, and the channel cuts to two wolves at a table discussing recent events, much like human news stations. 

“Com, turn the screen off.”

The news anchors fade into blackness as the screen shuts down and retracts into the ceiling, leaving me to wait for Amicus in silence.

He was speaking to a camera drone in the meeting chamber, so it doesn’t take him too long to get back. He looks haggard and worried, and I can tell how much effort he was putting into his act on the news. He sits on the bed next to me, and the dent he makes in the mattress forces me into his side. Not that I was complaining about it.

“So, what’s going to happen now.”

He sighs. I can feel his voice rumble through my body when he speaks. Its a nice feeling.

“Now, we wait until tonight’s meeting to discuss what approach we should take to-” he pauses, “-figure out all of this.”

He leans into me.

“I’m not sure if this is going to work. Earth and the Galaxis were already on shaky ground before this, and the murder isn’t foing to help. And the fact that it was committed on Adastra, and in the imperial palace no less, will make a lot of parties interested in what happens here for the next week or two.”

“Well, do we know anything that might help us catch whoever did this?”

Amicus shakes his head.

“No, not really.”

He freezes, and I can feel him tense up.

“Except…”

I sit up, suddenly worried about his change in attitude.

“What? Except what?”

He looks me directly in the eye.

“Cass told me something yesterday night, and I’m still not sure if I believe him.”

“What did he tell you?”

I’m a bit skeptical of Cassius, but I don’t think that he would have a reason to lie to his brother. Amicus sighs.

“You promise you won’t tell anyone? I think he meant for it to be a private conversation.”

“I won’t.”

“Well, he says he’s been, seeing things… Like apparitions. He says it's been happening for half a week now, it started just before you got back.”

“What has he been seeing exactly?”

“That’s the thing I don’t believe. He says he’s been seeing Cato.”

A flash of crimson enters my vision as the memory of the day I died comes back. I shake my head.

“I’m sorry, what? Cato?”

“Like I said, I don’t believe him exactly, but I am convinced that there’s something going on.”

I think about that. Cassius definitely wasn’t one to make stuff up for shits and giggles, especially during a diplomatic crisis. If he was spooked enough to tell Amicus about something that made him seem insane, there was definitely something here worth looking into.

“Huh, that is weird. Did he tell you anything else?”

“Nope, that was all he had to say.”

We sit, each lost in our own thoughts, trying to figure out what this meant. I try on different theories, but none of them seem to work quite right. There were only five people in the palace last night, excluding Miguel, and each of them were trusted. Neferu is the only one here who isn’t part of the Adastran royal family, but I really don’t think he would do something like that. Khemia has as much interest in contacting Earth as Adastra does.

Then, I think of something that makes me feel sick. Cassius is in charge of security. Cassius seems to be the only one who isn’t wholly invested into the alliance with Earth. Cassius has a history of political scheming. I look up at Amicus, who is staring at the opposite wall. He looks both angry and frightened at the same time, which makes me thing that he’s come up with the same answer I have.

“Do you think that-”

Com beeps on, cutting my question short.

“Emperor, Virginia requests your presence.”

He stands up. I stand too, but I’m not sure if I should come.

“Uh, should I come?”

He looks down at me.

“Of course! I wouldn’t go anywhere without you!”

There’s the Amicus I know and love.

Virginia is in a small room off of the main hallway. She looks concerned, which I know is as close she gets to being scared. She glances quizzically at me, then to Amcius, but he waves her off. She clears her throat as we sit down.

“So, we need to find out who did this.”

“Yes, we’re aware.”

“I’ve been thinking, and there’s something worrying about all of this.”

I know what she’s about to say, but it doesn’t make it any less shocking for Amicus and I.

“Everything we have points to Cassius.”

Amicus sighs, then puffs up. He glares at his sister.

“No. Cassius would never-”

“Amicus, I don’t care what you think Cassius is capable of. The only shreds of evidence we have point to him.”

I interject.

“But how? Last time I checked, Cassius wasn’t the most physically able person on the moon, and the stab wounds were from the front. Miguel definitely could’ve overpowered him if it came down to it.”

Virginia thinks about that, and Amicus seems to comprehend what I’d just said.

“Yes! Exactly! Even if he was capable of murder, why would he do it? He’s smart, he knows that he would be a prime suspect!”

Virginia shakes her head.

“I never said I was convinced it was him. I just said that he seems suspicious. There’s an unknown amount of variables that could’ve happened. We can’t possibly know for sure until we find some more evidence, which seems impossible.”

Amicus puts his paw to his forehead, rubbing it.

“But how can we do that?”

“That’s what I called you here for. I might have an idea.”

This catches both of our interests, and we stare at Virginia. She pulls out a tablet, then shows what’s on it to us.

“You know how Com said there wasn’t anything recording in that hallway? He was wrong.”

“What?! Then why didn’t he tell me?!”

“That’s the thing. He didn’t know.”

Amicus looks puzzled, and I’m confused too.

“I thought Com had full control over the palace?”

“That’s correct, but there’s something he can’t control.”

She brings up an audio clip. I’m surprised to hear Miguel’s voice in it. He seems to be talking with someone about Earth.

“All human ambassadors, except you, have a hidden microphone on them. I only found out when I looked over the body. I was able to obtain this recording from human security, who didn’t know what to make of it. I haven’t listened to it yet, I thought I’d wait for you two.”

I’m stunned. Everyone except me had a mic on them?

“Well, it just seems like the human is talking to someone here. Why is this important?”

Virginia skips forward in the recording to what I assume to be the night Miguel was murdered. Amicus and I lean forward, listening intently. 

In the recording, Miguel seems to be running. We can hear him panting and his heavy footfalls.

“This is about thirty seconds befor the murder.”

Miguel stops, and his clothes rustle as he turns around.

“Who are you? What are you doing?”

I can hear nothing of his assailant except for heavy breathing.

“Hey! HEY!”

I hear something metallic impact flesh, and I can tell it’s a knife being plunged into my friend’s chest from his scream of agony. I also hear a rib break, which rules out Cassius as the murderer. I doubt the white wolf would have the strength to break bone without breaking one of his.

The next thing I hear raises the hair on the back of my neck, and Amicus totally freezes. A deep laugh, one that evokes memories of pain and blood. The recording stops.

Virginia seems to recognize the laugh too, but she is calm about it. Amicus is still fear-frozen, so I’m the first to speak up.

“What. The. FUCK?!”

This seems to snap Amicus out of it. He wraps himself protectively around me. 

“Was that…”

“I believe it was. This recording must have been edited by someone.”

I remember that Virginia doesn’t know about what Cassius told Amicus.

“Virginia, Cassius told me something last night… I’m, I’m not sure if the recording was edited at all.”

She raises an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?”

Amicus relates to her what Cassius seems to think he saw. Her calm expression drops  
Almost immediately, and her eyes widen.

“Amicus… what-”

“I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

I feel his breathing quicken, and I know he’s on the brink of a panic attack. I reach up to his cheek and rest my hand on the soft fur there, which always calms him down. He breathes deeply and leans into my touch. I’m a bit embarrassed to be doing this in front of Virginia, but she seems to be lost in thought.

When Amicus gets himself back together, he speaks.

“Well, now we have something. We need to find out how this is possible.”

Virginia nods. She’s still nervous.

“Brother, this just seems insane. Cato coming back from the dead and murdering humans? Are you sure Cassius-”

Amicus slams his fist down on the table, making all of us jump.

“YES, I’M SURE! CASSIUS DIDN’T DO THIS!”

Virginia puts up her paws in a ‘calm the fuck down’ gesture. My wolf relaxes and leans back in his chair.

“Alright, alright.”

We think for a while. I’m trying to figure out how or why Cato could be back. Then, my blood runs cold. I remember something, a conversation with a tiger, Neferu telling me about-

“The Other…”


	10. X

X

-Cassius-

I won’t admit it, but the human sitting across from me is terrifying. I used to think all of them were as small and frail looking as Marco, but this one surpasses me in height and weight, and he looks like he could even take on my brother. He’s apparently the security chief the humans had brought along, and we’re trying to figure out a good place to start the investigation.

“Well, I’d like to assign some personnel down here. It might make the diplomatic team feel safer.”

I want to retort, but hold back. He makes a good point, and I try a method that a therapist taught me. I look at the situation as if I was a human. Having familiar people around me in an alien environment would certainly boost morale.

“Very well. How many?”

Chief Palmer thinks about that.

“Maybe a dozen. That’s about half of the trained guards we have on the ship.”

That seems like a fair number.

“I will allow it, but please keep their presence to a minimum. It would be an embarrassment for people to start talking about how we cannot provide our own security. They will also be subordinate to me, as diplomatic security on the moon is under my jurisdiction.”

I can tell he doesn’t like this, be I’m not giving him much of a choice in the matter. Others would call it rude and petty, I call it diplomatic maneuvering.

“Understood. Thank you for your time.”

As he stands to leave, I debate informing him on all the details of the situation. I quickly dissuade the thought. I’ve only told Amicus, and even he thought I was insane. Telling this stranger would be foolish, no matter what he could do with the information.

The door slides shut, leaving me alone. I’m not in the palace, I’m currently living in the building the humans are staying in, sans Marco, so that I can coordinate security on site. I’m not sure why I was even given this job in the first place, and I’ve already fucked it up.

I rest my head on my desk and sigh. Things just don’t seem to be working out. I try to think of what I used to do when this was normal. 

I went to Alex for comfort, that’s what I did. 

Damn it.

My blood boils at the thought of the cat, but my anger isn’t directed to him. It's myself I’m upset with. I let him get past my exterior because I thought I loved him, and I thought he loved me. He managed to use me like a puppet. It wasn’t him that caused the uproar over Cato’s emperorship, it was me, and I’m the one to blame.

Everyone tells me it wasn’t my fault that Alex managed to do what he did, but I know they’re wrong. I’ve already come to terms with what I let happen, and I’m trying to rectify it.

There’s a knock at the door, and I immediately straighten myself up as best I can. I cannot afford to show weakness, especially now.

The door opens to a wolf, which is a relief. I’ve dealt with more humans than I can count today. He is slightly taller than me, but is uncommonly thin. 

“Yes? I’m a bit busy.”

That’s a lie, but he doesn’t have to know that I’m wallowing in despair.

“Apologies, your highness. I wanted to make sure you were finding the accommodations fine.”

“Yes, yes, it’s all good.”

The thin wolf seems to be getting anxious, and I try to soften my expression.

“Thank you, um, what is your name?”

“Antonius, sir.”

“Well Antonius, I shouldn’t be your primary concern here. The humans probably are regretting their decision to come here right now, and I need people to show them that this is a rare occurrence.”

“Y-yes sir! I’ll do what I can!”

He scurries off down the hall, almost knocking over a janitor pushing a cleaning cart along. His grey tail whips around the corner and he’s gone.

Then, an uninvited though enters my head.

‘He’s kinda cute…’

My eyes widen and I glance around, thankful I didn’t say it out loud. Where did that come from? Why did I think that about a commoner I barely knew?

I do my best to wipe the thought from my brain as plans rush in. I’m supposed to be heading security.

The desk in my temporary room has a terminal with data from all of the security cameras in the building. Someone is probably watching them somewhere else too, but I want to be sure nothing is missed. I cannot afford another murder. 

I look at the lobby camera, and to my surprise I see Antonius and a group of about half a dozen humans chatting like friends. The microphone reveals that they are discussing the sibling races of the Galaxis and their cultural counterparts on Earth. They seem in a good enough mood, so I switch to a new camera after making a note to thank Antonius for making things smoother with the ambassadors. Maybe I’d deliver it in person…

I’m snapped out of a daydream by a chill coming from the back of the apartment.

“Damn it, not again.”

The climate control has been acting up all day, and the building’s staff is preoccupied with the humans. I get up and go to reset it, but I’m stopped in my tracks when I turn around.

I almost scream, but I'm barely able to stifle it.

The wolf before me all but confirms that I’m either crazy or something sinister is going on. The rip in his neck looks bloody and wet, but no blood drips down onto the floor. In fact, it seems like he isn’t really interacting with his environment. I stumble backwards, almost tripping over but steadying myself on the desk.

I almost hit the emergency call button, but something stops me. The wolf isn’t actively trying to assault me, in fact, he’s looking at me with an unusually calm and analytical expression. I’m the first to speak.

“Wh- What do you want?”

He grins, but it doesn’t reassure me. I prefer his resting face.

“Hello, young wolf.” Cato says in a deep voice.


	11. XI

XI

-Virginia-

My brother and I both stare at Marco in shock.

“What?!” We both shout, almost at the same time.

Marco looks nervous, then determined.

“Look, this isn’t gonna make a whole lot of sense, but I have a theory.”

I raise an eyebrow, and am about to speak before Amicus puts up a finger. I’m annoyed at this, but I instead focus on the human.

“So, the other is, like, some kind of malevolent force right?”

Amicus and I nod.

“And it takes the form of something we fear, right? Like urban legends and cryptids.”

My stomach drops. That makes too much sense for me to just brush it off.

“Wait, so you’re saying that this might’ve been the other?”

Before he can respond, Amicus interjects.

“That’s impossible. The other is a legend, a myth! How could it kill someone?”

Marco gets visibly annoyed, and I prepare to break up a fight.

“What do you mean? There’s literally no other explanation for all of this!”

“Boys, calm dow-”

“That doesn’t mean that something like that is possible!”

“But y-”

“BOYS!”

They turn to me. I inhale deeply.

“What Marco says actually makes sense. I mean, if the parents exist, then what’s to say that the other doesn’t as well?”

Amicus doesn’t have a retort for that. He looks down at his feet and mumbles.

“Sorry.”

Marco slides his chair over to him.

“No, I’m sorry. I really shouldn’t be getting annoyed with you right now.”

I let them have their moment, then try to steer the conversation back on course.

“So, Marco, you think it really was the other?”

He nods.

“Yeah.”

I try to calm myself, panicking will not help. If what I’ve heard about the other is true, then it's a force to rival the parents. I try to remember the stories I’d been told lon ago.

Marco shifts in his chair, obviously nervous. I don’t blame him.

“Amicus?”

“Yes?”

“I think you should speak with the parents. I know you’ve been putting it off.”

He looks guilty, then annoyed.

“So what if I have? It’s not my job to obey their every beck and call!”

He spits out the word “their” like it left a bad taste in his mouth.

“I’m not accusing you of anything. Please, just talk to them so we know for sure what’s going on.”

He sighs and relaxes.

“I’ll do it, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up. They can be infuriatingly cryptic.”

“Better than nothing.”

“I suppose.”

We all leave, Amicus and Marco walking towards the archives room, and I take a walk through the gardens. This could be bad.

I sit down on a bench, but I don’t get much time to relax before a drone finds me. I look up at it expectantly.

“Virginia, Cassius requests to speak with you.”

I arch an eyebrow, wondering what he could have to say.

“Alright, patch him through.”

“Negative, Cassius requests a meeting immediately.”

I’m half worried, and half annoyed.

“Where?”

“Cassius is currently in his bedroom.”

Now I'm fully worried. Cassius never invites people into his room. I get up and start walking to the other side of the palace.

Cass is sitting on his bed, an almost empty wine bottle on a small table within arm’s reach. He seems to notice me, and looks up. I can tell he’s been crying.

“Cassius?” 

He just gestures to a chair on the opposite wall. I pull it forward and take a seat.

“I- I need to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

I feel like I already know, and I refrain from mentioning that Amicus told me about when he thought he’d seen Cato. 

He relates to me what I already know, but that doesn’t seem like all he has to say.

“I’m, uh, not sure how to say this next part. I’m not sure if you believe me at this point.”

“I do.”

He looks a bit surprised, and that seems to give him the motivation to continue his story

-Cassius, an hour previously-

It's not Cato’s voice, or not how I remember it. Despite the gaping hole in his throat, it's clear and seems to resonate through the room. It also has some sort of, well, terrifying quality to it.

He continues speaking.

“Do not be frightened by the form taken by myself, I am here to offer you an opportunity.”

As it doesn’t seem to be threatening me, I slowly collect myself and stand up. Whatever it is looks at me and grins again.

“Excellent. Now, do you wish to hear what I have to say?”

I just nod, slowly.

“Adastra is about to become the focal point in upcoming galactic events, as you no doubt know. However, the ‘parents’, as you know them, have orchestrated this whole affair. Controlling Earth, like they control all of the other siblings, would be an enormous boon to them.”

He pauses, making sure I understand.

“I am part of a, ‘group’, that does not wish for that to happen. Can you honestly say that the parents are fit to be rulers over your galaxy?”

I consider that. Whatever this is, it makes a point, but that doesn’t mean that I want to go along with it. Like it senses my doubt, it continues.

“I am offering you and your people freedom. Do not turn this down.”

I finally manage to find my balls.

“And who exactly are you representing?”

He doesn’t seem fazed by the question.

“That is of no importance. What’s important is that you dislike the parents. We have a common enemy here.”

I really don’t like whatever this is, and my initial fear gives way to annoyance, which morphs into mild rage.

“Get out.”

It stops smiling and scowls instead. I can’t decide which expression is more unsettling.

“It would be unwise to order me around, young wolf.”

“Get out, or I’ll call security.”

Whatever it is is now angry, and I can feel the atmosphere in the room change. I shrink slightly.

“What I am offering you is once in a lifetime. Do not make a mistake.”

I’m about to tell it to get out again, but it turns to the door.

“I will find you again. Soon.”

It strides out into the hallway, but when I rush to the door and look, I see nothing there.

“What the fuck is going on?”


	12. XII

-Marco-

To try and relieve some of the stress from yesterday’s events, Amicus is taking me into Adastra City. We haven’t been there for a while, and he says a lot of things have changed. For instance, human culture (specifically cuisine) has taken root, and new restaurants and even some museums relating to human culture and history have popped up. He has a specific location in mind, however.

The route we take through the woods is familiar, reminding me of our walks years ago…

Adastra City slowly looms into view, Amicus and I pass the first houses and we soon find ourselves on a major road. Recognizing where we are, I give Amicus a knowing smile, which he returns. 

The pizza restaurant seems to be packed, but the waiter on duty leads us to a private table in the back, a wooden divider giving us some privacy from the other diners. 

“Wow, I’m surprised this place is doing so well.”

“To be honest, I am too. Human food is quite popular here, I’m glad I set this place up.”

We take in the sights. It actually looks like an earth pizzeria with all of its Italian decor and the pleasant smell of brick-oven pizza. Speaking of which…

The waiter sets down a large pizza in front of us. Surprisingly, it looks a lot like Neapolitan pizza back on earth. The cheese is kinda off, but it has decent looking pepperoni and the tomato sauce looks good too.

Amicus looks at me expectantly.

“You know, you’re the first human to ever try this. Does, does it look okay?”

“Yeah, absolutely. It wouldn’t be out of place in a pizza joint on Earth.”

He looks happy.

“Oh, that’s a relief. I’ll be sure to tell the chef that he’s been doing good.”

We enjoy our food for a while, like usual Amicus eats most of the pizza. The cheese isn’t perfect, but there’s nothing to complain about with the rest of it. 

I keep catching glimpses of children peeking around the divider. Realizing they probably want to look at me, I give what looks like a pair of siblings a wave and a smile. The sister tentatively returns the wave, and the brother scampers back behind the divider. 

“Are they bothering you? Do I need to get someone to keep them away?”

“No, I think they’re just curious. It isn’t everyday that you get to see an alien, after all.”

As we finish our food, Amicus starts to get an expression like he’s thinking about something. I’m curious, but he speaks before I can ask any questions.

“How do you feel about staying here?”

“I, I thought I said I would be happy to stay here forever.”

“No, not like that, but like, in the short term, with the murders and all. I was just wondering if you would feel more safe if you left.”

I can’t believe he’s asking me this.

“Amicus,” I say, resting a hand on his broad shoulder, “I feel safest wherever you happen to be.”

He blushes and turns away, obviously not expecting that response.

“In all seriousness, I don’t think I’d be any safer anywhere else. I mean, whatever’s doing this seems to be able to just do whatever it wants, so if I was on the ship, or in the city, or maybe even back on Earth it could still get to me.”

“I didn’t think of that. You make a good point.”

By this time, the pizza is gone. When Amicus tries to hand the waiter what looks like a credit card, the waiter refuses his money. Rather than argue, Amicus and I exit.

“So, any other plans for today?”

“I don’t know. You saw a lot of the city while you were here last time. I can’t think of anything worth-”

He pauses mid sentence.

“Amicus?”

“Hey, didn’t you say you wanted to go into Roman studies in school?”

I think about that. I remember now that I did when he first met me on the ship, before the whirlwind of events that year.

“Yes. but what does that have to do with anything now?”

“Well, after information that Earth had been partially uplifted before became public, a number of collectors and museums came forward with objects and writings that seemed strange.”

“Strange how?”

“They looked sort of normal, but there was something off. For instance, they were all slightly smaller than anything we make. The real tip off was what the writings and inscriptions were about. They all referenced a nation known as the Roman Empire, apparently we took them from Earth during the uplift process.”

I’m taken aback. The wolves have a collection of ancient Roman artifacts here? Millions of miles from where they were first made?

“Well, consider me interested. Where are these ‘objects’?”

“The city center, there’s a history museum there, and we dedicated a section to Roman artifacts.”

Said museum is a few miles from where we are, and when we reach it, Amicus and I go inside and to the Roman wing. I see pottery, engravings, ancient paper, even weapons and armour. I’m completely fascinated by the collection.

“Amicus, this is amazing! I think there’s only a few museums on Earth with this many items!”

He smiles.

“I thought you would like it. To be honest, I didn’t even remember we had this until an hour or so ago. I really should pay more attention to mundane things like this.”

For the rest of the afternoon, we tour the other sections of the museum. It seems to be a very popular place amongst the locals, and I receive not a few stares and some pointing fingers. To my surprise, I’m approached more than once and asked for signatures and photographs. I oblige, and people seem happy to get both Amicus and I to sign pieces of paper or pose for pictures.

In the section of the museum dedicated to more recent history, which for the wolves spans back more than two decades, I see something familiar. A dagger, engraved with ceremonial symbols, and caked in a reddish substance.

“What the fuck is that doing here?”

I keep my voice down, not wanting to disturb the other patrons. This part of the building is less populated, perhaps because recent history isn’t as popular as the stuff nobody alive has experienced.

“Oh, yeah, I forgot that was still around. Objects involved in the ‘Cato Events’ are valuable, and most of them that aren’t in royal family control belong to museums like this one.”

I feel the still-present scar on my neck. Whatever the parents put there seems to have adapted somewhat, and my voice sounds more or less normal, with the occasional robotic voice crack.

“Is that my blood?”

Amicus looks closer.

“Yours and Cato’s, probably. You really did a number on him. The autopsy said that he would’ve died from the stab wounds within minutes even if I hadn’t intervened.”

“Serves the bastard right.”

“I agree with you there.”

Some other interesting items housed behind glass panels include my old jeans and t-shirt that I first arrived here in, paintings of the day’s events, and a looping recording of what had happened. It feels weird watching my death in the 3rd person. Amicus doesn’t even want to look at the recording, and I can hardly blame him.

When we finally finish with the museum, Vita is low on the horizon. It's time to head back.

The walk through the woods is jovial, but there’s an undertone of worry that makes both of us nervous. Of course, there’s the usual pair of drones following us, but that only provides a small feeling of safety. It certainly doesn’t help that I’ve grown to distrust Com after he nearly killed me several times.

The palace grounds are well-lit, which does me all kinds of good. However illogical it may be, well-lit areas make me feel safer. The interior is empty, everyone's probably at dinner. I take some time to think about today. Our goal had been to unwind and forget about the unfolding crisis, and it had worked perfectly. I’m more relaxed than I have been since I left Earth a week ago.

I’m wrong about everyone being at dinner. Almost immediately after we enter the atrium, I hear footfalls on the polished stone floor. Turning my head, I see Cassius panic sprinting towards us, he stops when he gets within speaking range, then leans against the wall and pants for a few seconds.

“Cass? What’s goi-”

Cassius interrupts his brother before he can finish the question. I hadn’t thought about it before, but he looks terrified. His skin is probably as white as his fur.

“We need to talk. There’s been a development.”


End file.
